10 Most Famous American Actors

The 10 best most famous American actors is a veritable pantheon of demi-gods who grace ordinary Americans with their movie-screen presence. These American actors are not merely mortal human beings like the rest of the population–they are forever immortalized as semi-divine on the silver screen.

Marlon Brando. The best most famous American actor is Marlon Brando, and he sits atop this list because his death has only immortalized him into a more planet-sized legend. From his classic line "Stella!" to other unforgettable pieces of acting in erotic films like "Last Tango in Paris," Brando is synonymous with American cinema.

Clark Gable. Clark Gable deserves to sit at second place on this list of the ten most famous American actors because during his life, he was called "The King of Hollywood." Needless to say, you don't get that nickname for nothing, and his career was filled with memorable vehicles like "Gone with the Wind" and "The Mifits" from 1961.

Johnny Depp. This countdown of the ten most famous American actors can't be constricted to only dead legends, so Johnny Depp takes the third spot because of his versatility as an actor. Depp can play almost anything from a pirate in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise to a misunderstood reject in "Edward Scissorhands" and everything in between, too.

Robert DeNiro. The fourth-most famous American actor has to be Robert DeNiro for his long, continually popular career in American cinema. Equally playing villains and good guys with ease, "Taxi Driver" was the role in the 70s that brought DeNiro to the forefront of American audiences.

Sean Penn. Even though some filmgoers will forever remember Penn as the stoner in the "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" movie in the early 80s, Penn soon showed his tremendous reach as an actor, good enough to net him the fifth spot on this list of famous American actors. He also uses his movies to espouse a leftist agenda on some occasions, proving that politics and art mix.

Humphrey Bogart. Hard-pressed to avoid being pigeonholed for his famous line from "Casablanca" that went "Here's looking at you, kid," Humphrey Bogart is today considered an American cultural icon. Though his rise to stardom came rather late in his career (he was over 40 when he struck the big time with "Casablanca"), Bogart ended up dying from cancer in part because he refused to see a doctor for the disease early on.

Al Pacino. Al Pacino is getting up there in years, but as far as most famous American actors go, he's right near the top. Another Italian-American actor who is somewhat stereotyped for playing a lot of mobster roles, Pacino is an acclaimed actor, too, having been nominated for several Oscars while already winning one of those!

Leonardo DiCaprio. While Leonardo DiCaprio may go overboard at times with his left-wing activism such as climate change, he makes up for that with the fine caliber of his acting. A presence on the silver screen since his days as a youth, DiCaprio is broadly known for "Titanic," but in the years thereafter, he's established himself as a major leading American actor figure.

James Stewart. James Stewart is seen as one of a dying breed of true "good guys," which is why he takes the eighth spot on this list of the most famous American actors. Hardly anyone will ever forget him for iconic roles such as the Christmas favorite "It's a Wonderful Life" or the classic "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."

Michael Douglas. Michael Douglas closes out this countdown of the best most famous American actors, largely based on his slow, methodical and very articulate line-delivery. In his storied career, he's played everything from a corrupt, white-collar criminal in "Wall Street" to a sexually harassed underling in "Disclosure."